


Bending

by Lazydesk



Series: Sometimes Things Bend and Sometimes They Break [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Caring for a stubborn idiot, Insecurities, M/M, The Start of Something Wonderful, Victor is confused and in love, Yuri works too hard and loves himself too little, small injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-13 00:18:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9097207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lazydesk/pseuds/Lazydesk
Summary: In truth Victor was not the type of person to fall in love. It wasn’t that he was opposed to the idea, just had never found the right person. Then drunk, exuberant Yuuri had literally stumbled into his arms. They had danced. They had laughed. Victor had watched him wind his body around a pole. Even Chris had been impressed. Then like a nighttime breeze Yuuri was gone.





	

     Yuuri Katsuki was a number of things, none of them particularly pleasant. He was a coward, a bit chubby, and almost constantly anxious. The one thing he was not was a complainer. When Victor drilled him through the programs he listened, even when his lungs felt like they might collapse. When Victor pushed his limits regarding his sexuality, he adjusted accordingly. When Victor scolded him a novice mistake, he nodded his head an accepted the words without question. Yuuri didn’t complain because that meant he was quitting and Yuuri was not about to give up after he had come so far.

     So when he slipped off his skates and saw the bruised flesh and bleeding heels after their practice, he took a shuddering breath and steadied himself. Blisters dotted his toes and heels. Bruises covered the tops and sides of his feet. They were working hard. For three hours a day he was on the ice and there was another hour of stretching and running before and after. Not to mention that Yuuri would often sneak off in the evenings to skate on his own time. With years of practice he slid a clean pair of socks on and toed into his tennis shoes. When Victor beckoned for them to leave, Yuuri hoisted his gym bag over his shoulder and walked out of the rink. Each and every step hurt. Yuuri ignored it. What surprise was that, he had been neglecting his body through his teens and twenties. Victor was beside him, praising his hard work. That was enough.

     When night fell and Victor was asleep, Yurri padded to the kitchen and filled a bad of ice. Mari looked up from her book and flicked the butt of her cigarette into the ashtray. The heavy and familiar sent was one he associated with home and comfort.

     “Push yourself too hard again?” She commented more than asked. For once Yuuri nodded in confirmation and eyed the bottle next to her. With a quick gesture she gave her blessing. Yuri tipped the bottle of liquor and poured himself a glass. Turning his back to Mari, he smiled.

     “Thanks Mari.” She waved a hand dismissively as if to shoo him away. Even if she was distant and could come off cold, Mari was a good sister.

     Situated with his feet propped on a pillow and ice pack on top of his tired toes, Yuuri downed his glass of liquor in one go. If he was being honest, the blisters and bruises were nothing new. They hurt but were manageable. What wasn’t manageable was the slight anxiety that was winding its way down his back. It was like the unwelcome caress of an unexpected hug or touch. Throwing his head back, Yuuri looked up at the ceiling and sighed. They had a month before he had to go to Russia. With how hard Victor was pushing him, he would need a break soon or his body would simply give up. There was the voice at the back of his mind that told him that Victor would go back to Russia. His mentor would return to his country and just stay. Yuuri wouldn’t fault the man, he wasn’t that selfish.

     When a knock came at his door, Yuuri was too tired to register that he had grunted as permission to enter.

     “Yuuri I had some ideas about the sh-” Victor’s voice trailed off and it took Yuuri a moment to remember his elevated feet. Within an instant, he had shot up and removed the ice pack. That was possibly his biggest mistake of the night. “Yuuri.” His mentor chastised softly and sat on the end of the bed. With a gentleness Yuri didn’t expect, Victor grabbed his ankle and surveyed the injuries. It was clear that he was not pleased.

     “I’ve skated on worse,” Yuuri said preemptively. Victor made a low disapproving noise in the back of his throat. That was all it took for Yuuri to pull further in on himself. He wasn’t like Victor, Chris, or Yurio. Those three skated with an elegance that he could only pray to copy. It didn’t come naturally.

     “Yuuri why didn’t you tell me that you were hurting?” Victor grumbled; all of the playfulness that usually filled his voice was gone. Yuuri shrugged and had a fierce determination in his eyes.

     “I’ve skated on worse,” Yuuri reiterated. The look Victor sent him this time was meant to silence as well as chastise. It was humiliating in a different way than usual. Yuuri hated when people babied him. Here Victor was doing just that.

     “Where is your first aid kit?” The tone of Victor’s voice didn’t leave room for argument. That didn’t stop Yuuri from trying.

     “That isn’t necessa-” Victor grabbed Yuuri’s ankle tighter and tugged him towards the end of the bed. The movement caused Yuuri to fall back and he yelped slightly in surprise.

     “I am not feeling very patient with you right now Yuuri,” Victor spoke darkly. It wasn’t harsh, just a promise that hell would break loose if he was refused again.

     “It’s in my bag, left side pocket.” Yuri slung his arm over his face. With elegant movements Victor retrieved what he was looking for before settling back on the bed.

     Feet wrapped and genuinely displeased, Yuuri Katsuki was ignoring him. Victor stared down at Yuuri Katsuki as if he was seeing a new person. In their time as coach and student he knew Yuuri had a tendency to push too hard.  It was part of the reason he got so anxious in the first place. Yuuri’s stamina was phenomenal, almost impossible to keep up with. That was also part of the problem. Where Victor knew his limits and respected them, Yuuri insistent on more. If Victor had known about the damage that had been done during practice, he would have stopped it immediately. The bruises, bumps, and blisters would be healed in a couple of days but Yuuri’s mentality had to change before he drastically injured himself.

     In truth Victor was not the type of person to fall in love. It wasn’t that he was opposed to the idea, just had never found the right person. Then drunk, exuberant Yuuri had literally stumbled into his arms. They had danced. They had laughed. Victor had watched him wind his body around a pole. Even Chris had been impressed. Then like a nighttime breeze Yuuri was gone. Twelve months later, Yuri Plisetski had sent him a link to a video. Within seconds Victor’s heart broke and came together. The familiar music was accented by Yuuri’s presence on the screen. He had watched the young man skate his routine in awe. The way his body moved in elegant arcs and carefree turns was like a serenade. It had taken him moments before he had reached the decision to become Yuuri’s coach.

     Anxiety plagued Yuuri in a way Victor never would have expected. Soft whiskey eyes would sometimes look far away and Yuuri’s body would slowly forget how to breathe. It was the closest thing to heartbreak Victor had ever had. It was painful the way Yuuri shrank away at his praise, yet yearned for it. It was painful in that he didn’t allow himself to laugh or joke. It was painful in that Yuuri rarely let Victor touch him. It was painful in that he put his career in skating before the physical wellbeing of his body. Honestly Victor didn’t know what to do. At first he had tried to yank Yuuri out of his shell. That had backfired marvelously in Victor’s face. It was through trial and error that he realized that he simply had to be patient. All in all Victor didn’t mind waiting because Yuuri was simply beautiful to watch.

     In his time as a skater Victor had learned that there was no greater cruelties than the ones self-inflicted. Personally he had thought himself a master at this. All smiles and charm in public, and self-deprecating and anger when he was alone. Not many knew that he despised being around other people or even that he wasn’t very comfortable with himself. Chris had noticed it instantly; the Swiss man had always been remarkably observant, even to a fault. When Chris had brought it up in conversation, Victor had tried to brush it off. The younger man had simply laughed and kissed Victor tenderly on the cheek. While the two of them were rivals, they were also exceptionally close. The two of them had spent the rest of night talking, drinking, and flirting; Chris was safe, he was like a vault for Victor to store away all the nasty things he didn’t want other people to know. The world had sent Yuuri Katsuki to prove that Victor was not the most self-deprecating man alive.

     The big difference was that Victor had outlets for his own insecurities; whether it was talking to Chris on the phone or having a few drinks to unwind. Yuuri on the other hand went for complete and utter exhaustion of his body and mind. Some days Yuuri would binge eat and then the next few days he would refuse any food put in front of him. Some days Yuuri would jog just barely fast enough to keep up with Victor and the next he would jolt ahead of him. The one thing that remained consistent was Yuuri’s skating. When he was nervous, he skated. When he was feeling good, he skated. Whenever he was feeling anything outside a specific set of feelings, he skated. Yuuri would push and push until there was nothing left to give. At first Victor thought it was devotion but it was so much more than that. Yuuri loved skating but he also treated it like a punishment. He didn’t know how to pull back and take a breath. When something went wrong, Yuuri would drill it again and again until it was up to a ridiculous standard.

     So there they were sitting in Yuuri’s room with a thunderous silence looming over their heads. Victor was angry, mostly at himself. How had he not noticed the shift in Yuuri’s gate or a grimace when he landed too hard. He was also angry that Yuuri found hurting himself like this acceptable.

     “Practice is canceled for at least two days,” Victor murmured, his hand still rested on Yuuri’s ankle. Unsurprisingly the small Japanese man took great offense to the words. With a quick movement he was up right, a dangerous pinch between his brows. In anger Yuuri was always bold.

     “How many times do I have to tell you that I’ve skated on worse?” He snapped at Victor. There was a hand on Victor’s chest that seemed to be debating whether or not to shove him. That was how things always were a push and a pull between them. Touch starved Yuuri always seemed to want Victor close. The proud Yuuri always wanted him at arm’s length. With a soft sigh, he gripped Yuuri’s wrist and brought it up to his lips. It was a painfully affectionate gesture that shocked Yuuri into silence.

     “I’m telling you that you need to rest.” With tremendous care, Victor guided Yuuri to lie back against the bed. “I don’t know who neglected you so much that you think that skating harder is the only option. Please rest now; it would put my mind at ease.” The last part is manipulative and Victor knew it. There are still protests bubbling at the back of Yuuri’s throat but he remains silent. Bending forward, Victor pressed his lips to Yuuri’s elegant cheek and sighed. Victor had never been the type of person to fall in love. Apparently when he did, he fell hard and fast.

    

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for all the fantastic support for my last fic. I love these characters and their wonderful personalities. I can only hope that I do them some justice. I plan on continuing both Yuuri and Yurio's story lines.
> 
> Love all of you and feedback is appreciated


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